By Herb Ryan
The 31st Annual Hills Alive Festival in Memorial Park in Rapid City was a hub of activity when I arrives at 5:00 pm saturday afternoon. Finding parking was difficult, but that was a good thing for the event. At 5:20, a light rain started falling and the event safety crew cancelled all live shows on both stages. Those that could, found shelter. Around 5:30, a strong wind whipped through the festival grounds upsetting tents and blowing over displays. God’s wrath, hardly, just the usual South Dakota Black Hills weather. I left the event at 6:00 pm and the weather started to brighten as more people arrived for the evenings entertainment. The event offered a chance to connect to a christian faith through prayer and community with a prayer tent where people will pray with you, or just take your time for quiet reflection. For the second year in a row a Water Baptism was offered in Memorial Lake.



